Acts 21:37 New English Translation
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,[a] he said[b] to the commanding officer,[c] “May I say[d] something to you?” The officer[e] replied,[f] “Do you know Greek?[g]
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- Acts 21:37 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
- Acts 21:37 tn Grk “says” (a historical present).
- Acts 21:37 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
- Acts 21:37 tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).
- Acts 21:37 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Acts 21:37 tn Grk “said.”
- Acts 21:37 sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.
New English Translation (NET)
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